Evaluating the Iraqi Election Results

Amir Taheri provides one analysis.

Omar at Iraq the Model provides another.

Both are important reads. And Omar provides some additional information that's worth a second look:

While the American embassy today resumed its talks with the Sunni leading politicians, 6 Iraqi militant groups announced that they will unite their forces and join the rest of resident of Anbar and Salahiddin in fighting al-Qeda. The new militant groups included the Islamic army, the Anbar martyr’s brigades and the 1920 revolution brigades.

This change sounds positive and encouraging. Although I always preferred that the government deals with such issues instead of militias because if those militias succeed in their new mission, they will have demands and they will gain leverage in later bargains when they will be asked to drop their arms (that’s if they have a plan to do so in the future).

As we've been hearing from the milbloggers and other supporters of the Iraq operations, red on red attacks have been increasing, especially since Zarqawi went off the reservation and started bombing Iraqi civilians nearly exclusively. While it would be better if these groups disarmed, disbanded and were subsumed into the Iraqi military, going after the real enemies of Iraq shows where the situation in Iraq is headed.

Meanwhile, the media continues its focus on suicide bombings and additional attacks against civilians while highlighting all the difficulties in forming a new government.